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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — child
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. toast — bread
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. kid — to tease
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com